Shed Makeover and Tip for Picking Black Paint

I have the most satisfying shed makeover to share with you today.

It is satisfying because nothing fancy happened.

All we did was finish someone else’s project (it happens) and address the neglect that had occurred over time.

The makeover occurred on the little shed that houses our pool pump and equipment. It’s tiny. We can’t even stand up fully inside of it.

We aren’t sure when the shed was built, but the back side of it and the cupola were missing the cedar shake siding. Our best guess is the previous owner ran out of supplies and never finished the project. The last 5% of any project is the hardest to complete, so we get it.

Plus, unless you were standing at the far end of the pool, you couldn’t even tell this side of the shed wasn’t finished. When the pampas grass is at its full height, you couldn’t tell at all.

Is that pampas grass for the win?

I think it is.

The point is this project has been easy to ignore in the two years that we’ve lived here.

NOT ANY LONGER!

I’m on a mission to reverse the neglect on our outdoor spaces this summer.

Handy Husband got to work adding the missing siding to the back and top of the shed.

His biggest considerations were keeping the siding level and not puncturing anything on the inside of the shed with a nail. Some of the pipes and equipment are really close to the wall!

He and I were under the mistaken impression this project would fly by quickly.

If by quickly you mean six solid hours in the hot sun then, yes, this project flew by.

There were a lot of angles he had to cut and those added time to the shed makeover.

When his part was done, I stained the shed with a black stain.

Here’s a tip for picking black paint or stain:

You can ask the person in your paint department to mix up basic black paint or stain. No need to pick a color like All The Power Is Out Black or Burned Dinner (Again!) Black or Black As My Soul Black.

Stores sell black spray paint and premixed black paint all the time and we don’t question if that black is going to have a cool tone or a warm tone. It’s just black and we love it.

Now, there have been times when I’ve picked a specific color of black paint for a project. I’m partial to Behr’s Limousine Leather.

There are also times when it HURTS MY BRAIN to have to make one more decision, so I’ve asked for porch paint in basic black and stain in basic black. I haven’t regretted it yet.

Perhaps there’s a situation where this tip for picking black paint or stain won’t work, but it’s good to know it is often an option!

Aside from the part where I had to half crawl onto the roof to stain the cupola – roof shingles get HOT – my part of this project was so easy. It was also satisfying. Instant gratification to say goodbye to the fade siding and hello to the new!

Handy Husband considered this shed makeover an annoying project and he’s happy to check it off my honey do the list. I consider all projects at least mildly annoying (ha!), but I am happy it is done too.

One part of buying a neglected property is having all of these hopes and dreams for how the property might someday look. Some of those hopes and dreams for the property involve a hard dose of reality a lot of time or money to accomplish.

Relatively speaking, this shed makeover really didn’t take much time or money to finish. We have about ten person hours and $100 in materials between the siding and stain invested in this shed makeover.

The other part of buying a neglected property is finally seeing some of that neglect wiped away by your hard work. This was one of those projects!

It feels so satisfying to look out over our property and have this little shed become part of the bigger vision for a home that is well-loved, maintained, and will continue to last for generations.

Progress makes me happy, folks, and is the motivation I need to continue because we are nowhere near done.

Shed Makeover Resources:

Behr Waterproofing Stain and Sealer in Basic Black. This is a solid color stain.

Cedar Shake Siding

Thanks for being here! I hope you leave today with an idea, a bit of knowledge, or smile. Here are some other posts you might enjoy. 

Trying Out an Electronic Lock

My Home Could Be In a Movie

Outdoor Decorating With Farm Junk

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